The Bansfield Benefice is the collective name for the Parishes of Cowlinge, Denston, Lidgate, Ousden, Stansfield, Stradishall and Wickhambrook in the Diocese of St Edmundbury and Ipswich, Suffolk, United Kingdom.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

September brings us time of thanksgiving, and this year among our Harvest theme will be thanksgiving for our new born, whether our own nearest and dearest or our nation’s new born royal. Just as Harvest brings us opportunity to give thanks for all God provides through the purpose of His creation, Baptism gives us opportunity to enliven our thanks in promising ourselves to the purpose of God’s re-creative love in our lives. Whether our promise to trust to His love is made by our own witness as adults or as infants by the witness of our family in parents and godparents, we pledge ourselves to the hope of the Heavenly family through Father Son and Holy Spirit. Whether new in birth or Spiritual birth, this new beginning enlivens hope for ourselves, our families and where royal birth our nation and kingdom.

The Hope of God’s Kingdom is a natural reflection of this pledge to the best of our hopes, that in this day at your hand and mind should be seen that Heavenly Kingdom on Earth. Yes, ever the truth of this earthly life is to fall short, to turn from the Way, to break our promise…

The latest ‘thing’ – a home copier which takes for its ‘ink’ a feed of plastic coil and for its print out delivers any object you care to scan or input. Now any broken item can be reproduced as new in this latest ‘affordable’ gadget, promising an endless supply of new parts even according your imagination and inventiveness new unique ‘things’.

Baptism too is a celebration of our repair, that whatever is broken, in God’s love can be made whole, however far from the path we have strayed we may turn again to the Way of God’s love in Christ.

Baptism is a celebration of our being re-born in God’s love, no matter how often we fall we are assured we may rise anew to our part in Christ’s risen body, even in Him to perform new unique works.

May we rejoice in our hope, ever to look for the good in all things, and may we this Harvest time freely give of our thanks for our life, our health our food, by the harvest of our lives, that all things new be seen on earth, as in heaven Revelation 21:5.